NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: CENTRAL PARK

By KELLY CROW

Published: June 29, 2003

The Central Park reservoir of has rarely been accused of flashiness. Most days, the 106-acre body of water is glassy calm or quietly rippled. Do not be deceived, though. Hidden beneath the reservoir's surface is a 35-foot-tall wooden platform built in 1917 that looks like an oil derrick and supports a nearly forgotten fountain.

Early this month, the city decided to resurrect the fountain as part of its celebration of the park's 150th anniversary on July 19. The fountain is actually a row of five nozzles that, once renovated, will spray up to 60 feet in the air. The spray will probably be illuminated at night by red, white and blue lights.

''Fountains are a great way to enliven a spot, and this one will certainly surprise New Yorkers who think they know the reservoir well,'' said Chris Ward, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the city's water supply.

The fountain first spouted on Oct. 12, 1917, during dedication ceremonies for the city's First Water Tunnel, which helped supply New Yorkers with fresh water from upstate. But the city soon turned it off because strong winds blew water from the plume onto too many well-dressed walkers along the reservoir's southern edge.

The fountain sat unused for almost 80 years, until the city began making plans in 1998 to celebrate construction of the Third Water Tunnel, which passes beneath the park. City planners discovered old photographs of the fountain and hired divers to investigate. Sure enough, the fountain nozzles were rusty, but the original platform was still in place. The city spent about $50,000 to renovate it.

Problem was, a drought began in the city that year. Only months after coming back, the fountain was shut off.

The city's reservoirs are brimming, so chances are good that the fountain will last at least until winter, when all city fountains are usually turned off. And the park reservoir, now named for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, has plenty of water to supply the fountain because it no longer feeds into the city's water system, he said. About $5,000 will be spent this time to ready it by July 19, including temporarily lowering the water level for maintainance.

But, common sentiment aside, not everyone loves a fountain. Joan Schumacher, an Upper East Sider who likes to run around the reservoir, said the fountain's spray might mar the reflections of nearby apartment towers.

''I like the natural, mirror quality of the reservoir right now,'' she said, ''and I don't think it's worth it to keep a fountain in the middle. Maybe other people thought so, too, and that's why we really buried it in the first place.'' KELLY CROW

Photo: The reservoir fountain had a brief revival in 1998. (Department of Environmental Protection Archives)